Someone made an admission to me recently: Early in their career, they loved being the person everyone turned to when something needed to get done fast and done well. It felt like proof of their value. But over time, they realized that being “the go‑to” was also limiting the impact they could make. They were stuck solving near-term problems, and doing what no one else wanted to, instead of building capable systems and teams who could take over after they stepped out of the room. It was something they had to really focus on and shake, mid-career, to get “unstuck” and continue moving up the career ladder.
It occurred to me that this is a quiet trap that a lot of hard workers probably fall into at some point in their careers. Not because they’re ineffective, but because they’re exceptionally effective, but at the wrong altitude.
I wonder if we need to talk more about the hidden cost of competence. When you’re good at execution, organizations instinctively pull you back into the weeds. Research from MIT Sloan highlights this exact dynamic: highly capable leaders routinely struggle to let go, even when they know being in the weeds creates limits for them. Competence then becomes a magnet of sorts. The better you are, the more work finds you, and the harder it becomes to elevate your focus to where your leadership is actually needed.
Organizations unintentionally reinforce this pattern. Many reward the leader who jumps in to right the ship instead of the leader who builds clarity, distributes accountability, and trains team members to own outcomes. The Association for Talent Development has noted that one of the toughest transitions for new leaders is resisting the instinct to do the work themselves rather than creating the conditions for others to excel. Who hasn’t faced this? Stepping back can feel like becoming less essential. For many, that’s a discomfort that runs deep.
I propose that effective leadership should in part be measured by what continues to move forward when you step back. A reframing may be in order. Instead of asking, “How can I help solve this?” the better question is, “How do I create space so others can solve this without me?” That shift from being central to being catalytic could be career changing. And it’s certainly the hallmark of a good mentor, and we need more of those.
The work of leading is often more subtle than we acknowledge—it can be about quietly empowering those around us; moving out of the way so others have room to lead. If we can get over the need for the adrenaline that comes from being indispensable, we have a chance to build things that last.
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